Incomplete Sanity
by Tea Time Productions
Summary: Yagiri Pharmaceuticals is known for its human experiments; but with the constant shifting of underground power, some of these experiments slip through their fingers and fall face-first into the hectic normalcy of Ikebukuro. Normalcy being dodging flying vending machines, avoiding speeding motorcycles, and evading horror movie serial killers. (Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita)
1. -Welcome to Ikebukuro-

-Chapter 1-

-Welcome to Ikebukuro-

" **English"**

"Japanese"

[PDA]

'_Thoughts_'

"_If the whole world is mad, what use is logic?"_

~ N/A

The airplane had arrived ahead of time, giving me an extra hour to get lost in Tokyo, since there wouldn't be anybody waiting for me... Therefore I slowly made my way through the train system towards Ikebukuro. I clutched my backpack straps for dear life, dreadfully paranoid of getting lost in such an unknown world... As the train stopped at Ikebukuro station, I pondered my decision. It had been 7 years since I had last seen my brother face to face, and now I was on my way to his house. Getting of the train quickly I decided that I had no other choice.

'No way in Hell… will I go back to that lab coat prison called _home_'

Leaving the station I ventured out into the /streets holding onto a city map and the notecard, with my brother's address. Getting around was near impossible due to my limited Japanese…

"Russian Sushi! Sushi Good!" a large black man dressed as a sushi chef yelled out as he passed out fliers in front of a Russian Sushi Restaurant.

"Miss, Eat sushi~ Sushi good for travel~" he said holding a flier out to me.

Taking the flier I checked the time…

"I still have 2~ maybe 3 hours left…. Why not?" he smiled at me.

"Right behind you?" I made sure to double check.

"Yes. Lots of Sushi…. Good for travel~" he replied before turning around to hand out fliers to people who tried to avoid him.

Walking into the restaurant the chef welcomed me ushering me into an empty room before returning to his place in the kitchen. I took off my shoes at the door, and hid my pack behind the entrance wall due to my paranoia. Taking a seat near the end of the table I picked up a menu and took on the task of trying to read and understand what it said.

"Yo~ !" a voice to my left said, returning me to the real world.

"Gomen~ didn't mean to surprise you~ " the man said, his voice amused with my reaction. I looked him over, he was taller than me, and his red brown eyes contrasted his dark black hair. He had a black jacket, which was trimmed with fur along the hood, hands, and end. His eyes watched me intently, as though reading me, trying to judge my reaction to his sudden presence.

I pulled my cat-eared beany lower, a bit surprised at how he managed to sneak up on me without me hearing him.

"What's your name?" he said casually picking up his menu.

"Call me Mika…" I replied, nervous at the idea of having to keep a discussion going in Japanese.

"Where are you from?"

"…. America…." I returned to trying to make out the menu…

"So~ Mi-chan~ who are you visiting?"

"My Nii-chan and his roommate live here…" I sweat dropped remembering just how lost I am…

"What you eat?" the black man from outside asked standing in the doorway.

"Ah~ Simon!" the black haired man said before starting a conversation in Russian with 'Simon'. I watched them impressed that they would actually know Russian… after they had finished the conversation Simon turned back to me to get my order.

"Just some miso soup and tea please"

"Too little, eat more to fill stomach" he replied shaking his head in disapproval.

"Next time... I promise ...Simon" I smiled unable to wait until next time...

"How bout tomorrow Mi-chan~?" The black haired man said enthusiastically.

"Maybe... My brothers' roommate loves cooking so she may make more than my brother and I can eat. But I would love to." I smiled not feeling so awkward. Either way Simon approved of me coming again so he walked off to place the order...

I looked at the man beside me thinking about what to say...

"Nee~ that was Russian right?"

"Yep... I can speak English too if it would help~" he replied slightly bored...

"It's ok I have to get used to speaking Japanese if I'm able to stay..."I replied not wanting to inconvenience him.

A rather l long awkward silence ensued, as he studied my reactions before looking at his phone... My phone broke the silence as it began to ring. Hurriedly I picked it up.

"Moshi Moshi?" Recognizing the voice I apologized to the dark haired man.

"**What's up Raizo?"... "Yes I'm here" ... "No I'm not at Nii-chan's place yet"... "OI! Why don't you get you ass over here and try to find his place!"... I sighed as Raizo apologized on the phone... "I'll let you know when I arrive okay?" ... "Bye..."**

"So~ Mi-chan~ who was that?" The man asked.

"You should introduce yourself first..." Finally realized I knew nothing about him.

"Tell me first..." He said practically ordering me...

"My other brother... Now, what's your name?" I said quickly.

"Izaya..."

'_I-za-ya-, gotta remember that… I finally know somebody else in this city!_' I danced internally feeling more comfortable with my surroundings.

As he spoke Simon arrived with our orders... Tea for both, miso soup for me, and sushi for Izaya. After Simon left I asked I turned to ask Izaya what kind of sushi it was...

"Fatty Tuna... " He stated simply.

"Why do you wear that hat inside?" He asked pointing to my beany with his chopsticks.

"Lucky hat..." I stated simply, reaching for the cat ears, in a nervous twitch.

" And you believe that?" His soothing voice was laced with amusement, at the childlike belief.

" Yes I do... It is actually its the main reason I made it here... Well that and me, dying my hair..." I twirled a strand of my now dark blood red hair...

" Interesting" was all he said. I drained my tea and miso soup before looking at the time.

" Ah Shit!" I cursed under my breath realizing that I now hand under an hour and a half to figure out where Nii-chan lives... I watched Izaya as he finished his sushi slowly... His name was so familiar, but I couldn't place it anywhere... Maybe...

" Umm I-kun...?" I said, as we finished paying for our meal and headed for the restaurant exit...'_If he give me a nickname why by give him one too_?' I thought to myself...

"Could you help me out?" Izaya snickered amused at my 'helplessness'.

"Sure... What's in it for me?" Izaya bounced on his heels expectantly, signature smirk gracing his lips.

"Umm-" I started before... **"WHAT THE!"** …. A street sign missed my head by centimeters...

"I-ZA-YA-KUN~!" a blond haired man in a bartender suit was seen across the street picking up a nearby vending machine getting ready to hurl it in our direction.

"Ara~ Forgot about you Shizu-chan~ !" Izaya said before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the street after him. As we ran 'Shizu-chan's' profanities could be heard, while the objects he threw were visible as Izaya danced out of the way, with me in tow.

The running continued for what seemed like ages, my legs numb and my side hurting on top of my shortness of breath…. '_Man am I out of shape!_'

"Sorry Mi-chan~ . That… protozoan has no self-control…" he twirled around lightly in the dark alleyway, as though this was a regular warm up. Seeing my huffing and puffing he laughed out loud.

"No~ Really?! He seemed to know _Exactly_- what he was- doing-" I huffed sarcastically, rolling my eyes for further dramatic effect. Izaya laughed harder, before he finally calmed down and squatted so that he was at the same level as me as I sat on the cement. With my head hanging between my knees I desperately tried to calm my breathing but to no avail. The adrenalin drained out of my system allowing the pain to hit me.

"Oi~ you okay?" Izaya asked

**"No- I'm- having- an- asthma- attack!" I **gripped my chest trying to keep myself from hyperventilating.

"Aww~ I can't have you dying on me yet~" his smirk widened...

" I'll take you to a doctor... But-" he stopped looking at me with mischievous eyes.

"But-what-?" I managed to get out, knowing those eyes all too well to know that nothing good would come out of what he would say next...

"You'll owe me a favor~" I looked at him wanting to decline... I tried to stand up slowly until a sharp pain in my right leg revealed a dark crimson spot forming on grey below my knee.

**"Fuck..." I **swore under my breath... When I looked at Izaya he had his back to me as though waiting for me to climb on.

"As I said before~ Just a favor Mi-chan~" his voice sounded amused at how he cornered me but annoyed that he would have to carry me.

"Fine" I got on his back and tried to focus on stabilizing my breathing... Trusting that this stranger would indeed take me to a doctor.

I felt myself get lightheaded because of the lack of oxygen, and not so smooth ride that I as being given. I rested my head in his soft hood taking in the smell of his cologne...

"You - smell weird..." I whispered.

"Aren't girls supposed to be light?" He teased in response, entering a tall building. He let me fall off his back onto the floor before calling the elevator.

"Oww~" I complained

"The doctor lives at the top..." The way up was quiet. The smirk on Izaya's face turned into a frown, as he got lost in his thoughts. Finally reaching our destination, Izaya helped me to the door before walking in unannounced.

"Nee~ I have a patient for you~" Izaya sang out dragging me into the hallway.

**"This doctor of yours should really lock his door..." **amazed at how simple it was to enter.

**"Trust me they don't need locks" **Izaya mused, practically throwing me on the couch as a person with brown hair and white lab coat entered. He looked from Izaya to me his childlike smile morphing into a serious business expression.

The brunette pushed his glasses closer to his face before walking around the couch to examine me. I shuddered at the thought... Why? I have no idea but the doctor smelled familiar... He put my leg onto the table before rolling up my jeans to take a look at the wound.

"Does this have anything to do with Shizuo?" The doctor asked Izaya, his tone very professional.

"We were chatting when he found me... I ended up dragging her along." Izaya walked lazily to the window and looked out.

"Ah... This may sting a bit" the doctor began to clean the wound of both fresh and dried blood.

**"No shit!" I **muttered sarcastically under my breath. Despite my continued muttering of English profanities the doctor continued to bandage the wound, his face professional the entire time.

"Nee~ Izaya did you see Celty on your way here?" The doctor inquired his eyes shining with a childlike gleam.

"Nope~ should I have?" Izaya turned around so that he leaned with his back against the glass, and his eyes filled with amusement to match his smirk.

"She's out on an errand..." The doctor continued. Somehow the name Celty brought a nostalgic feeling of Deja Vu... A violent deep throat cough expelled that feeling as I curled up trying to breathe between coughs. The doctor left and returned quickly with a glass of water.

"Here... Take these... They'll help with the asthma..." He handed me the cup of water and two small pills. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry..."

I looked at Izaya's bored face as I struggled to swallow the pills. After taking a minute or so to actually swallow the pills I felt the pain die down and my breathing slowing down.

"Thank you..." I said softly.

The doctor studied me intently, as though he knew who I was but failed to recognize me. The phone in my pocket began to ring, breaking the awkward silence. As I pulled it out to answer I felt the phone leave my hand. Izaya walked to the hall entrance and leaned against the wall corner, his eyes watching my face intently.

"Give it back..." I hissed glaring daggers at him. His smirk only widened as he opened the phone.

"Moshi Moshi?" ... "No this is not Mi-chan~"..."She is not available right now~" his eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Izaya! Give it back! It's my brothe-"

A figure walked down the hallway stopping behind Izaya. The figure hidden by the lack of light in the hall stood dangerously close to Izaya, whose face contorted in slight pain as a loud **DZZT** was heard. The figure emerged into the hall a cell phone was in one hand, while the other held a taser.

"Shinra~ I found an intruder~" the man laughed, smiling like he had just won a game.

"Eeeh! Raizo!" I watched Izaya slide against the wall as he clutched his side. It was like watching a slide show of emotions. #1: shock, that he just got hit. #2: pain from being tased. #3: annoyed that a person was able to tase him, etc...

I looked at Raizo in shock that he was standing before me, with him looking at me even more so. He looked from his cellphone to my cellphone were Izaya dropped it, before looking at Izaya with a serious expression full of hostility. Izaya stepped away from Raizo trying to analyze the new data coming in, of course from a safer distance.

"Mika..." Raizo paused looking me; the glare from his rectangular shaped glasses blocked any emotions his eyes contained. "... You're so short," he continued, zapping the taser in Izaya's direction.

"RA-I-ZO...!" Anger boiled in my veins as the hairs on the back of neck raised in anger. "I dare you to say that ONE more time, unless you wish to avoid a SLOW and PAINFUL death..." I hissed at him my finger pointed at him as a warning to top of my death glare.

Ignoring us, or rather using the distraction Shinra inched his way over to Izaya, and led him to the side of the room to check the tase wound.

"Not much changes, huh..." Raizo teased taking an exaggerated large step back, the child like grin sitting smugly on his face. The almost innocent grin visibly darkens as he pushes the glasses up his nose and his mouth creeps into a dark psychopathic smirk. "Can't wait to see what you come up with~" his voice earnestly wanting to see what I could come up with best, but before I could grab something to throw at him, my cell phone came flying full speed towards my face. I caught it with a smile with enough insanity to match his.

"You...! T-there are more of you...?!" All of Shinra' previous courage disappeared as he withered down in horror.

"Wait...!" I looked from Raizo to Shinra, finally realizing the shared physical characteristics and connecting the dots. "Nii-chan?!" I finally recognized my older brother realizing how little he had actually changed.

As Izaya's eyes twinkled like a kid opening Christmas presents, Shinra straightened his glasses and posture before looking back up at Raizo and I.

"... Sou ka... The beany had me fire a moment there..."

"How else could I have escaped?" I questioned before continuing, " got lucky with the anime expo going on..." I smiled in triumph as Shinra's countenance became troubled. His eyes weary yet bemused. He scratched the back of his head before laughing at the mental images he was getting.

"Since when do you have siblings I know nothing about?" Izaya laughed as though gladly accepting _his _new pawns.

"You still fuzzy? I can fix that..." Raizo said sneaking up on Izaya again before poking him with the taser.

"You may want to move I-kun..." I warned sweat dropping.

"Agreed." Izaya stated stepping towards the door with his dagger pointed at Raizo.

"Let's all have some tea, nee~..." Shinra uneasily suggested as he jumped between the two. Once Raizo and Izaya stowed away their weapons Shinra made his way to the kitchen muttering under his breathe.

"Last time Raizo was this entertained..." He shuddered, "...neighbors...lights...power plant..." Shaking his head he busied himself with making tea and glancing at us every few seconds.

"I must decline... Business I must attend to else where..." Izaya said shoving his hands into his pockets as he headed to the door.

"Thank you I-kun..." I said under my breath causing him to turn around.

"Fa~vor~... Don't forget Mi-chan~" his voice darkening at the end before he waltzed out quickly, not wanting to give Raizo any time to act.

Shinra's head popped from around the corner.

"A favor to Izaya?" his voice hoping that he was wrong.

"Yep~... brought me here with the condition that I owe him a favor..." I watched as his countenance became visibly distressed, before he slowly pulled his head back behind the corner.

"That sounds troublesome..." Raizo sat down on the opposite side of the couch fiddling with the taser, as he listened intently.

"You~ haven't changed a bit~" I laughed at Raizo, earning a smile from him. He paused before he made a spastic face. My eyes widened as I saw the taser visibly shocking him from all his aimless fidgeting with the device. I laughed at his blatant stupidity as Shinra entered balancing four cups of tea.

"Izaya left. No need for four." Raizo said from the ground to Shinra who places three cups on the table and returns to the kitchen with the extra one. The door in the hall began to open making me jump up off of the couch to peek down the hall just as Celty walked in.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw me. Surprise, maybe? She snapped out her PDA from inside her sleeve and began to type.

[Are you Shinra's sister?]

I nodded studying her yellow helmet in interest. "So you are my brothers roommate... And~... The headless rider..." Although I had been in Ikebukuro for about 5 and 1/2 hours, rumors, gossip and legends of the headless rider had found their way to my ears easily.

[Yes I am both...] she showed me the PDA log enough to read it before typing again. [Do you want to see...?] She asked watching my face and reading my mind.

I nodded shyly not wanting to be rude. As she reached for the helmet a giddy excitement filled me. With the feet finally off I watched as black shadow like smoke lifted up into the air from where her head should have been connected to her neck. I watched in awe as an exam case of Deja Vu clouded my mind with notices just out of my reach.

"AH!" I yelled stepping back a bit and pointing at her. Celty jumped in surprise and my sudden actions. On the sidelines Raizo slouched back onto the couch with his tea, as Shinra entered the hall behind me.

I remembered heated vermillion flames and Celty holding out her hand, her shadow clothing contrasting the flames. When the memory went away I hugged her tightly overjoyed, but not clearly understanding my feelings.

[Nani...?! Shinra is she okay?!] Shinra typed quickly, worried and confused. Shinra stood there smiling at us, tears forming in his eyes, which he quickly wiped away.

[Shinra?] Celty asked as I let go and the two of us watched him. Without warning Shinra snapped and squeezed Celty and myself into a tight bear hug.

"Aahh!" I yelled in surprise as I was squished between Shinra and Celty. Silence ensued until broken by Raizo as he calmly sipped his tea.

"Now..." Shinra says releasing us, "that we are all here together... Despite the peculiar circumstances..." He glanced at Raizo with a worried and slightly freighted look.

"You won't send me back... Right?" I pleaded.

"If _He_ finds out you're here, I'm going to be given heck..." Shinra replied his voice trailing off.

"But! Nii-chan!" Celty put her hand on my shoulder and showed Shinra her PDA.

[_Him _as in you father?]

"Yes I mean my father..." Shinra sighed sheepishly as Celty shuddered at the thought.

"I'm sick of their experiments... That's why I ran away! Don't send me back! Please!" I begged.

[Experiments?]

"Show her Mika, it's only fair..." Raizo said looking at us briefly before returning his attention to his tea.

[Show me what?]

"She... She isn't exactly normal Celty..." Shinra said nodding to me. I slowly took the cat eared beany off my head. Two black cat ears stood on my head instead of human ears on the sides.

Celty took a step back before typing quickly:

[You're not an alien, right?]

I giggled slightly at her childish question as Shinra laughed with tears in his eyes.

"Of course not! I'm as human as Raizo and Nii-chan..."

[T-then... Why do you have cat ears?]

"My father genetically altered her when my mother was pregnant..." Shinra explained moving towards the living room and guiding us out of the cramped hallway. Celty helped me back to the couch where I sat between her and Raizo.

"I remember you now Celty-san..." I said looking up at her remembering her silhouetted against vermillion.

[?]

Shinra looked between the two of us confused.

"You helped me and Raizo out of the burning lab when we were little..." I explained taking a sip of my tea before it got cold, "Ne~e, remember Raizo? It was just before we left Japan...?" I felt him tense up next to me as he held onto his tea.

"My Celty? You truly are amazing ne~e Celty?!" Shinra swooned sitting on the couch arm. Celty jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow as he leaned towards her.

Raizo paused, "No." He replied before continuing to sip his tea.

"You really don't remember?" I asked tilting my head sideways.

"No. I don't remember." He said his voice distant. As he finished his tea he stood up and headed towards the kitchen with his cup.

[Sorry I don't remember either.] Celty typed apologetically.

"Oh... It's okay though," I laughed, "I could be wrong the memory is hazy anyways..." I sipped my tea in awkward silence. The silence continued as Shinra and I drank our teas my watch ticking softly as it kept track of the time.

Celty stood up and walked to the glass room before returning with her computer.

[Let me show you where you can sleep...] she typed before turning the screen to face me.

"Ok..." I replied standing up and limped after her to my new room. I grabbed my pack from the hall as we entered the room.

[The futon is in that closet along with blankets...if you need anything please ask :) ] She typed.

"Thank you Celty..." I smiled in return, "if I don't come out again it means I fell asleep..." I added quickly before she left.

[You must be tired] she stated.

"You bet... All that running..." I said remembering how Izaya dragged me around Ikebukuro during his escape.

[?] Celty questioned.

"Long story... I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?" I yawned as my brain slowly began to shut down.

[See you tomorrow morning... Oyasuminasai~] she typed before closing the door behind her.

"Oyasumi~!" I sang after her. With a sigh I pulled the futon and blankets out of the closet and struggled to arrange it in the middle of the room. I sat down on the floor next to it yawning and barely fake to stay awake. Peeling off my clothes and changing into my "pjs" I crept under the blankets and passed out. Memories of the fire haunted me in my dreams.


	2. -Fractured-

-Chapter 2-

-Fractured-

**"English"**  
"Japanese"  
[PDA]  
_'Thoughts'_  
*Actions*

"One person's craziness is another person's reality."

~Tim Burton

_"Hrk.." The frail but firm arms wrapped more tightly around the small child, fearing it might be scorched by the flames. The fire was everywhere now, its warmth almost soothing, but its smoke ever encroaching, scratching at the lungs. The small child shifted uncontrollably in the slender figures arms for a moment.** 'Go back...'** Through blurry, burning tears, the child watched as they passed through the rubble and burnt down sections of the building with graceful speed. **"You ca-"** Horrible hacking and coughing hit, squelching whatever pleas were intended. The flames lessened as they moved, but chased them out nonetheless. **"SHE'S STILL INSIDE!"** was what the child wished to scream, at the top of his burnt and smoke clouded lungs. All that came from his mouth was a cry of agony, squelched by yet another wave of the life-leaching smoke. One last door was kicked down with a crash and they were outside. The cool air and the darkness rushed to greet them..._

A boy in his late teens curled up where he sat.

_'Why is it so cold, just as my spot was warming up.'_

The frazzled boy lifted his weighted head from the hard lab table, straightened his rectangular-ish glasses, and looked around the classroom for a moment to see that someone had opened a window nearby.  
Something nudged into his side and a voice whispered into his ear "C'mon, Raizo. What are you doing? Again?" Raizo looked over to the teacher's position at the front of the class, but he was giving instruction on something that, if listened to for long, began to swish together into an unintelligible dream.

_'Another experiment...'_

A shiver hit him, this time not from the cold draft.

_'Today's shouldn't be any different though. Even without instructions, these things have always been rather simple...'_

The whisper returned, interrupting his thought. "Honestly, Raizo. We graduate in 2 months. There's no time to relax yet; we're going to be on our own soon."

"Worried already, Amaru? Don't think so much of it yet. We still have to get through this lab. Would be a shame if there wasn't anything left of us to graduate."

The teacher's tone became slightly irritated. "Raizo, please show respect in this laboratory. It is important to me that none of you come to harm here."

Amaru's chair screeched back across the floor, visibly making those around wince at the sound. "Forgive me, Sir. I was the one distracting him. It won't happen again."

'_Wha...'_

The teacher, taken back by Amaru, or possibly just the screech, appeared to be pleased by this explanation, and continued with the instruction.

'_You're kidding me...'_

"You should come play tennis with us, Raizo. It might help to clear your head some..." came another whisper from Amaru, more quietly than the last time.

"You keep saying so. I bet you just want me to come so that you can get back at me for that thing with Izami-san."

Amaru made a face while, in the background, warnings could be heard about what sounded like the dangers of sticking a pen in a wall outlet.

_'You can't even let that go, can you...'_

* * *

Same day-

"It seems like even the bell is excited to get this day over with, eh,

Rai?"

...'Raizo always makes the strangest faces...What could this one be, hm?'

"Piss off, Amaru."

_'eh?'_

"Aren't you in a bad mood. At least let's get away from the confines of the school before you go off on me like that. Plus, we can't have little Izami-chan sneaking up on us with that dirty mouth of yours. *pause* "Those faces you make scare me sometimes. You shouldn't be so tense or you're certain to scare off all of the pretty girls...You're doing it again..."

The two continued out past the school gates, caught in the flowing mass of Raira uniforms that simply poured out of the school. As the one sided conversation went on, they failed to identify a figure in bright red stalking up to them.

"You really should cheer up, Amaru-chan."

"Uwah?! I-I-Izami-chan...er -san."  
The face of the one named Amaru convulsed and a variety of emotions seemed to show up and vanish just as quickly. Just the same, the frazzle- haired and somewhat sour boy walking beside him seemed only more displeased as he rubbed clean one lense of his glasses.

"Weren't you wearing your uniform earlier? How come you switched back to your old one? It stands out a lot."

"You can't always follow people around and wear what they expect you too. Plus, " *waving her arm around in a tight circle* "with everybody here wearing such a dull blue, you didn't even notice me sneaking up on you two. I'm a bit disappointed..."

At this point, Amaru's face seemed to settle on one contortion over the others.

"That's not exactly fair, Izami-chan...-san. *Amaru continues to mistakenly use the -chan suffix.* "Wasn't it that boy who told you that you looked best in your old uniform? Besides, you should be more considerate of others conversations."

Izami looked back and an almost serious face revealed itself to Amaru, making him step back a little.

"He's not a boy, to let you know. I like my men more mature than the two of you anyways. *pause* Alas, you're right, Amaru. For all I knew, you two could have been saying dirty things about each other just a moment ago."

An even more serious undertone took over Izami's expression, and she said rather quietly. "Oh dear. To think I could be interrupting such a youthful romance before it even takes root...I'm so dearly sorry to you both! I will be sure to introduce myself to the conversation more properly before teasing Amaru-chan!"

As more strange spasms seemed to appear in Amaru's complexion, he let out in a squeak something along the lines of "Hey-...what..." and then a sudden "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! YOU PERVERT!" But the red-clad girl had already lost herself somehow in the now thinning crowd of blue uniforms.

"...And she's gone." Amaru let out a sigh and lifted his arm up so that his outstretched fingers pointed towards his companion's head.

"Ack! The hell. I told you to cut that out, Amaru."

"You were being too quiet. Not that you usually aren't, but you stopped making strange faces at me. Sometimes I can't help but jab you, anyways, brooding all the time like that."

There was a pause, and then, in a slightly more taunting attitude, "Couldn't be thinking about Izami-chan, could you?...Ahh you were. Pervert."

Amaru let the last word hang in the air.

_'Hypocrite...'_

"Ah there we go. I still don't quite understand that face you always make at me." Amaru shifted slightly at that thought.

"You should be more careful yourself. It's too obvious that you like her, Amaru..."

"Eyah?!" Amaru almost fell into the street at this, inviting more cruelty.

"Instead of making little comments about my own face, you should check a mirror some time. You were blushing between the few words you were able to get out."

"I-It's not like that. Don't make things weird; we've only known eachother for a few months, anyways..."

"Heh, not even, Amaru. You've noticed, too."

"Eh?" Amaru let off in a strange pitch, almost forcing it out.

Becoming more intense, Raizo pushed on. "No, you have. Every time she's missing from class, I can tell. You get all mopey and don't even pay attention to instruction. What's more, Aki and Shinjimaru cut last week and guess who they saw her with." The last few words abruptly died out.

Looking over, Amaru had gone quiet. His face had gone calm... No... He looked dead.

_'Scary...huh...'_

"She's always talking about him when she's actually in class." -Amaru let out bitterly, shattering the almost tranquil silence between the two.

"...Some damned _kid_ named Izaya..."

* * *

Seven Months Forward-

"What is the point of this."

"~Hm?~" The muffled response came out even more strangely through the man's gas mask. "~You don't usually ask so many questions. I wouldn't expect you to be any different this time.~"

"That was one question. And I'm not a courier. Go hire Celty, would you? There have got to be better things for me to do than th-"

"~It's not a girl, is it?~"

"What."

"~That was even dumber than the last question you asked...Is she attractive?~"

"I'm leaving."

"~Ah no you don't! What? Come back, where are you going?...I don't like to remind you, little Raizo, but we have a contract of sorts, as you know...~"

...

"~To be very honest with you, it really isn't any fu-~"

"Why not go buy a damn sword. This is a waste of time."

"~Mpfhmphmmhph.~"

"Take off the mask, damnit. I can barely understand half of the things you tell me to do."

"~I was laughing. You should be, too. This is a wonderful opportunity for you. Be overjoyed at what I am about to say to you right now.~"

"I. Still. Can't. Hear. You."

"~...You really do suck the fun out of everything I say...~"  
"Then maybe instead of sending me off on a scavenger hunt for some toy of yours, you could leave me alone for more than half of a day."

"~Ah, but that is most fun part of all this. As your guardian, I am obliged to raise you properly. If you aren't punished for your mistakes, you'll become complacent.~"

"That is none of your business. Shinra did a better job than you possibly could."

"~Let's not talk about my weird headless-fetish child. The fact that he brought you up this well still surprises me...Ah, so onto your job for today. Now, don't give me that look. Even behind my mask, it still makes me shake...ahem. So, what to do with you now... Ah yes. For today's task, you will be delivering this...~" A large suitcase-sized object was raised onto the table from the man's side and left between the two.

"What the hell-"

"~Don't overwhelm yourself with curiosity, little Raizo. There could be a cadaver in there, for all we-...you know...and wouldn't it be a shame if you were to get blood all over your nice clothes? Not to mention the paperwork I would have to make Shinra fill out... All I'm having you do today is take it down to Mr. Kirisaki's place. No more. You can leave it on his porch and you will be done...I'm surprised that you've been able to stay silent for so long. Normally, I would have been interrupted ri-~"

*SLAM!*

The man who's face was enveloped in the mask stared down, blankly even for him, as the large case was dragged out through the door.

*THUNK! THUNK! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! thunk! thunk! thunk! thunk! thunk! thunk!*

The man stared out from the empty room into the now silent hallway. "~I wonder...what I could have done in my life. How does a man of my standing deserve this sort of treatment from his children?~"

"First off, you could start with the fact that I'm not your kid."  
"~Ah. I could almost say that I am relieved. I believed that you had taken the suitcase down the stairs. That would have been a saddening situation, for the both of us. I'm glad that I was successful enough as a parent to teach you to take the elevator at least. That, Raizo, is why I feel that I have fulfilled my role as an adult to you children.~"

"I'm heading for the elevator, if that's what you mean."  
"~Good good. I shall leave you to it then...wait, Raizo! Ah, he's already gone. I wonder where...he left...the suitcase...~"

*thunk*

"~I do believe that he is gone this time.~" The man turned himself, with his head looking slightly over his shoulder, in order to face the door on the opposite side of the room.

-click-

A slightly larger man stood in the gap made by the now open door. Though visibly shorter, with a sun-spotted and balding head of gray hair, he stood with a looming presence that even the pale and previously tranquil room could not absorb. Strangely light footsteps emanated from the floor below him as he approached the other figure, as though the floorboards would not dare utter a noise of complaint. "You have a love for these children, I see."

The masked man, now turned fully towards his hidden company, let out a short cackle and then giggled slightly at the thought. "~Have I dumbstruck even you, old man, with my boundless adoration of my children?"

...

The larger man raised his eyebrow. "Two children are still missing from your family, are they not? I would consider you to be a poor parent, were I in the place to judge."

Yet another short cackle came from the masked man. "~Yes. That is truly unfortunate. To see my children scatter one by one has brought tears to my eyes on many occasions. Thankfully I was able to hold on to my one dearest child. He being the eldest gave me hope.~"

At this, the other man's deep laughter jumped from the walls. "I recall another child being your favorite, years ago. This boy you speak of was so low to you, at times you would not but stare at him, chained to the cold floor, when he spoke to you. Has your favor changed hands so quickly?"

"~Though I have had to continually remind him of his goal, he has always had a strong will.~" The man's shoulders shook at this, possibly out of fear, or otherwise a silent laugh. "The boy is too valuable to me now. I need his determination, to reunite this family once again.~"

* * *

Downstairs-

-ding-

The stainless steel outer door to the elevator slid open. Soft but crackly music hummed out from the inside as the now slightly less-flustered Raizo stepped out, turned the corner to his left, and approached a bewildered lady who was staring down at the foot of a staircase, or perhaps the small-ish black suitcase which had come to rest there.

_'Just my luck that no one walked away with it...'_

"Ah, excuse me, miss. I will take that from here..."

The woman snapped her head over to locate the source of the voice, then paused for a moment, unsure. "I see. Of course. Thank you little one."

Stiffening at the last words, the boy proceeded to carry, almost drag, the suitcase down the hallway, through the rotating door, and onto the always-busy main street. A double-floored bus passed by with a slow whoosh, as many googly-eyed children stared out onto the sidewalk at the strange suitcase-wielding man wearing a sky-blue sweater underneath his bright white lab-coat. As if waiting for the moment to pass, the sound of a broken xylophone emanated from the boy's pants pocket. Unceremoniously dropping the suitcase from his arms with a loud thud, he shoved his hand into his right hip pocket and grasped for his cellphone. "Hello?"

"~I wouldn't put it past you any time soon with that childish mind of yours that I must put up with each and every day, so I am taking the liberty of calling to remind you-~"

"Are you done yet?"

"~AhhHEM. To remind you of the value of this delivery. I can't even consider how important this assignment must be to you. Ah, you must forgive me, I'm being so rude! I haven't even told you why yet! Perhaps I shouldn't though. I don't want you becoming too stressed out and failing to complete this of all tasks. Your sister depen-~"

-CRACK-

The gray and white phone bounced a few inches off of the pavement and slid to a stop a meter or two from Raizo, his arm shaking as it dropped back to his side. A few people paused their daily routine for a moment to take in what had happened, but quickly resumed their pace, some speeding up to catch up with the lost time.

_'Damnit. Damnit damnit damnit. I'm going to kill him. If he brings up little sister one more time...'_

As the tension suddenly eased off of his face, though only partially, Raizo walked over to his now facedown cell phone and picked it up with a shaky but gentle hand. His eyes flashing over the device quickly, he tested the power button. A certain amount of ease reached his shoulders as the familiar welcome screen appeared. After the monotonous start-up jingle sounded, fingers flew across the keypad and the now calm Raizo held his phone up to his ear.

"Mi-chan?"

"~~~"

"Thats really you, huh?" A smile fluttered past Raizo's face, but was gone in a moment.

"~~~"

"Has Shinra contacted you yet? Have you gotten to his house already?" His eyebrows dropped and his teeth became visibly clenched at the next pause.

"~~~"

"Why not? Where are you now? I needed you to be at his place as soon as possible."

"~~~"

"Ah. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I..."

"~~~"

"...Yea. I understand...Be safe..."

His last few words came out in almost a whisper. The people around began to speed up as they brushed past him. Despite the number of people passing by each second, no one seemed to touch him. He shivered through his coat and sweater.

* * *

**_A/N:_  
**

**_Shingen's YouTube theme music of the day (he's such a creep):_**

**_"Outer Science"_**


	3. Ready, Set, Go!

-Chapter 3-

-Ready, Set, Go!-

**"English"**

"Japanese"

[PDA]

_'Thoughts'_

"Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."

~Cary Grant

DUN DUn Dun dun~ dun Dun DUN Dun~

As the bell rang signaling the start of class, I stood outside of the teacher's room, waiting to be ushered in. I tugged my beanie down, flattening my ears against my head, nervously going over my self-introduction under my breath. As I fidgeted with the end of the uniform skirt the doors opened and a teacher ushered me in. The teachers all turned to look at me over the mountains of soon-to-be-graded tests that lay stacked on top of their desks. I bowed quietly scanning the room awaiting my cue to start.

"Hajimemashite... I'm Kishitani Mika... Douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu..." some of the older teachers visibly cringed at my last name but seemed surprised that I chose the honorific ending.

_'I wonder what my brothers did to them...?'_

"You think she'll be anything like her brothers?" I heard one teacher whisper to her colleague, "she's going to be in the same class as _them..._"

"Just be glad Shizuo doesn't have a younger sibling their age..." The colleague whispered back cringing as a cold shiver ran down his back.

"But still... I hope she won't turn out to be weird like her brothers... look at that hat, since when does a student get a doctors note saying she absolutely must wear some kind of hat? Isn't that strange?"

I was about to give the teacher a piece of my mind as a hand was placed on my shoulder. I twirled around to see a male teacher who beckoned me to follow him._ 'Guess this is my homeroom teacher?' _I wondered as I ran after him.

* * *

**Inside the Classroom**

Students gathered together whispering in hushed and excited voices. Rumors had spread that there would be a new student joining the 2nd years.

"Isn't it a bit late for a transfer student?"

"There are only 2 months left..."

"I heard that they are coming from America..."

"I heard that they had siblings who went to Raira too…"

"I saw her! She was wearing a black beanie!"

"!?"

"I saw her too! … She had dyed hair…"

"Do you think she's part of a gang? Like the Dollars? Or Yellow bandanas?"

"Do you think she'll be in the same class as those _Orihara twins_?"

"I hope she's not going to turn out to be a _psychopath_ like _them…_"

That last comment made everyone remain silent and exchange fearful glances with their neighbors. The entire 2nd year class prepared themselves mentally for the worst, as a 2nd year classroom door slid open and the homeroom teacher walked in taking his place at the podium.

* * *

**Outside the Classroom**

I hesitated at the door, just knowing that there was a room full of people my age made my adrenaline soar, but having to stay with them hours on end? I had no idea how I could step into the room and face them… I could hear Yamada Sensei introducing me to the class. The moment I walked in I regretted it. For some reason a building full of lab-coated doctors didn't scare me as much as a classroom full of other people my age…. I could see how most of the students started to pay more attention when Yamada Sensei asked me to give my self-introduction and to answer a couple of questions that the other students may ask me…

"H-Hajimemashite… Watashi ha…Kishitani Mika desu…. Y-yoroshiku ne-" I managed to mumble out. The brunette with two long braids, glasses and a black sailor uniform jumped in her seat as she rushed to ask her questions.

"Are you related to Kishitani-sensei? And what is your sexual preference; male or female?"

The questions took me off guard and I stood there a good few moments just looking at the girl, who watched me expectantly.

"Eeto-… Yes I am… and … Male?" I replied really unsure of what to do. The moment I answered the girl sat back down and turned to her neighbor; a girl who had the same coloured hair, only shorter, and wore the track suite that accentuated her developed curves, and proceeded to carry out a whispered conversation with her.

The rest of the period proceeded with questions from other students, such as: Where are you from? Why did you move to Japan? Do you live in Ikebukuro? Etc…

When the bell rang signaling the end of home room I was relieved. I could finally sit down. My desk was next to the open window in the farthest corner of the room so I was able to ignore the loud, noisy, and rather petty conversations people around me were having. The boy to my right looked just as annoyed as I felt; however, his gaze followed the brunette twins from earlier. As I was about to say something to the dark haired boy the bell rang again and a female teacher walked in. To my horror she began to write equations up on the board.

"...math..." I groaned in despair pulling my beanie lower and hiding my face in my arms. This was going to be a very, very long day...

The bell signaling the end of math came as a wave of relief and I slumped in my chair looking at the ceiling. Closing my eyes I zoned out thinking about how relieved I was that I didn't have to return to Father's laboratory. I imagined Shinra seeing celty out the door as she left for work, then I remembered that on the floor above me Raizou was sitting in his own classroom. An unexplainable urge came over me, I had to see how his school life was, how does he manage to interact with so many students, and if he had any good friends I had no idea existed...

Before I could jump out of my seat the bell rang again followed by a male teacher walking in and making us open our history books. He began to teach, his voice monotonous with no emotion, my eyelids grew heavy and my head began to bob up and down until it hit the desk and remained unmoving for the rest of the period.

The break bell rang causing me to jump up in fright. I could hear fellow students laugh as I fell backwards. The boy who sat beside me stood up and offered me his hand. I took it and he helped me up off the floor. As I picked up my chair I mumbled a thanks hiding my face due to my embarrassment.

"Not a problem. I'm Kuronuma Aoba." He went back to his desk and sat down.

"Pleasure to meet you..."

"You're related to that underground doctor who lives with the black motorbike?" His question came out as a statement rather than a question. His smooth innocent voice gave me goose bumps. Something about his aura seemed to contradict his brilliant performance of an innocent high schooler.

"I have to go meet with somebody..." I quickly lied before running it the room unable to take the pressure of his dual aura. Reaching the top of the stairs I stopped to catch my breath. I walked down the hall fidgeting with the end of my skirt as people stared at me. Reaching my brother's room I peeked in, trying not to bring attention to my self.

Inside the classroom I could we Raizou and a boy from his class. The boy was rambling on about some girl named Izami while Raizou seemed to grow annoyed with each mention of her name. The boy noticed this and sighed heavily before glancing at the open door and making eye contact with me.

"Oi~ Raizou~" he said nudging my brother with his elbow.

"What is it Amaru?" Raizou replied seemingly annoyed and uninterested.

"I think you've got yourself a fan girl~" I took that as my cue and ran down the stairs before Raizou could see me.

Not thinking about where I was going I found myself at the side door entrance where the outdoor shoes sat in their respective cubbies. The bell rang for class to resume and the once crowded halls became empty. I looked at the exit only meters away.

'I think this was enough for one day...' Despite the lack of activities and engagement in class I was wiped out. There were too many people staring at me and whispering behind my back; and I didn't like it one bit...

I remembered the deal I made with Shinra, if I go to school I could stay here in Ikebukuro. He never said I couldn't skip~ lucky for me I didn't have a bag with me so I didn't have to return to class. Sliding the doors to the cubbie room slowly to avoid making noise I slipped quietly into the room, swapped my indoor shoes for my outdoor shoes then made a run for it. Once outside the school gates I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. I found the inhaler Celty and Shinra gave me I'm my jacket pocket. After using it I quickly recovered and made my way down the streets towards the heart of Ikebukuro.

* * *

Couple of hours later

As I walked towards Sunshine 60 the youth began to gather near the street. I stood on my toes to see what everyone was looking at. A familiar black bike and yellow cat helmet was headed down the street. I rushed into the first store I could find, to hide and not risk getting caught skipping on my first day of school, by non other than Shinra's roommate. Once Celty passed the store i was hiding in I let out a sigh of relief. I moved away from the door and looked to see what store I had entered. To my delight I had walked right into anime/manga paradise, Animate.

Browsing through the shelves I internally screamed as I found manga that I liked. After completely losing track of what floor I was on I slowed down and enjoyed the feeling of anime overloading my system. From the far end of the aisle I was on came an overly excited squeal.

"Yumacchii~! She would be the perfect anime character~!" A brunette said shaking her partner bye his hoodie sleeve.

"Sou~ Sou~! She would be a top secret experiment with human and animal DNA that escaped her confounding laboratory prison!" The blonde male spoke at top speed as he practically studied me.

"Yes! She escapes and lives with her brother!" The girl replied even faster. But their words scared me. They were practically relating my life to me and I didn't even know them!

"She would then fall in love with a stranger who then abandons her when he finds out she has cat DNA-"

"Iya~ Iya~ Yumacchii~! He wouldn't just abandon her..." The girl interrupted him, "But rather he would use her and her cat skills in an elaborate plot to overthrow the government!"

"Sou kamo nee... (You're probably right)" his head sank in agreeing thought. I stood there frozen in fear and disbelief.

_'Did these people know about me? They don't look it, but maybe they work for that woman? Then again...Should I run for it? I don't think they work for Father... But what if they do?'_

My face paled as horrible thoughts came to mind. A sudden hand on my shoulder made me jump and fall down on top of a cardboard anime figure. The man who had scared me stretched out his hand to help me up.

"Sorry bout that... Didn't know you would get that frightened." He put his hand back into his jacket pockets and relaxed seeing that I was alright.

"I'm Kadota by the way. Those two are Erika and Walker..." He continued gazing at the mentioned two as they rearranged the cardboard figure and continued their rapid conversation.

"Kishitani Mika..." I replied smoothing out my skirt and brushing the dust off the back. When I looked back up at him he had a curious expression of confusion that was magnified by the beanie and rest of his outfit.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked rubbing my cheeks afraid that I had some sort of dirt on it.

"Iya- you said your name is Kishitani?" He asked.

"Yep... Is there a problem?"

"No it's just that when I went to Raira I had a classmate named Kishitani... He was a weird kid..."

"You went to Raira? Maybe it was Shinra?" I offered, slightly amazed that I had met somebody from Shinra's high school years.

"Shinracchii!" The girl from earlier said grabbing both my hands, "You're related to Shinracchii?"

"Yes...?" I replied

"That's so cool!" Erika exclaimed.

"Are you his cousin?" Walker asked.

I shook my head and laughed, " No he's my brother."The three of them looked at me with wide eyes and mouths agape.

"What?" I asked not sure if I should regret what I had just said. Before any of them could answer my stomach growled loudly causing me to blush in embarrassment.

"Why don't we talk more over some ramen?" Kadota offered.

"That's a great idea!" Walker and Erika exclaimed in sync.

"Eh...!?" Taken off guard I had no idea what to say; however, saying something wouldn't have stopped Erika and Walker from grabbing my hands and dragging me out of Animate towards a green van with an anime door.

"So... What anime do you like?" The van door shut behind me as Walker and Erika sat cross legged watching me intently.

"Kuroshitsuji, Steins Gate, Naruto... Too many to choose from..." I laughed as anime titles stormed through my mind; back in the lab I was given access to Internet and was completely absorbed by the anime culture during the spare time between experiments and schooling.

Despite only giving a few titles I flipped Erika and Walker's otaku switches; they began to rapidly discussing different anime and manga that they like. I leaned back against the van wall watching the scene in front of me.

_'Could I have been like them? Happy, friendly, normal? Guess I'll never know huh..'_ I smiled sadly as I wondered how different my life could have been if I didn't have to hide because of cat ears and tail...

A maniac swerve to the music now blasting through the van tossed me to the other side of the van.

"Oi! Watch the road will you?!" The driver yelled. I sat up now near to the front passenger seat while Erika and Walker were now on the opposite side unchanged from their previous positions. Another sharp turn threw me across the van once more and when I sat up again the van was parked and everyone was getting off unaffected by the driver's manic driving. Does he always drive this way?

Stepping out of the van I ran after Kadota and the others who were already purchasing their food from the menus vending machine. By the time I got my meal tickets and handed them to the waiter, they were seated and waiting for me to join them. After sitting down in the "booth" next to Kadota I removed the barrier between us and awkwardly waited for my order.

"You're not from here?" Kadota's question was more of a statement than question.

"Un... I lived in America with Father; but I ran away so now I'm living with my brothers." I can trust these people… right?

"So that's why your Japanese is off..." The driver from earlier mumbled.

"Togusacchi~ be nice," Erika scolded the driver, " if you scare her off we won't be able to make her cosplay Makise Kurisu!" I deadpanned and just stared at her...

Before anybody could comment further our orders arrived; I quietly focused on my ramen as Erika continued her fast paced anime ramble with Walker, and Togusa started talking to Kadota about the Dollars. The mention of the famous Dollars group caught my attention and I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation. Apparently something was going on, something about a run away girl from America...

"Are you guys Dollars?" I blurted out unable to contain myself.

"Yeah." Kadota's simple reply suggested that this was a normal question that he was constantly asked.

"Can I see the picture of the girl?" I had a suspicion that I wouldn't like what I'd see, but I had to be sure.

"Not a problem." Togusa handed me his cell phone with the picture of the missing girl. A brunette girl dressed in hospital white looked up at me from the small screen. Almost dropping the phone I clumsily gave it back to Togusa before running out of the ramen shop.

**_'Somebody knows who I am..'_**

I ran without paying attention to where I was going. Racing down an empty alleyway I tripped over something lying randomly on the street and collided face first with the hard cement. I sat on my knees rubbing my nose for a while and then reached for my beanie, that lay a few inches in front of me, in a puddle of god knows what...

"Eewww... Nasty..." I groaned twisting the soaked fabric to get the liquid out. I sat down against the building wall and took a few puffs from my inhaler to get my breathing back to normal. My stomach growled as I thought of the half eaten ramen back at the shop. After stuffing my now semi dry beanie into my jacket pocket, I looked up at the sky and watched the clouds pass by the little crack between buildings above me.

A commotion in the building behind me caused me to jump away from the door I had just been leaning on. Perfect timing because a gang member burst out through the door with a horrified expression. As the door screeched shut behind him he just stood there watching me watch him. His face contorted at the ear piercing screech before slowly turning into shock as I held my hands over my ears.

He pointed at me stuttering: "M-mo-monster!" With that he turned around and ran away leaving me confused as to why he called me a monster...

Wait... Ears... "**Fuck. Crap. Bit-**" before I could finish my list of curse words, the door flew from its hinges at an inhumanly high speed; straight towards me.


	4. -Broken-

-Chapter 4-

-Broken-

"English"  
"Japanese"  
[PDA]  
'Thoughts'  
*Actions*

"Insanity - a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world."

~R. D. Laing

_"Now what could that look be, hm?" The man in the pale doctors outfit glanced over at the clipboard by his side and frowned. Looking back at the child on the floor he make a disappointed click with his tongue and spoke again. "Now we made an agreement. You know that..." The man looked down over his smallish reading glasses, expecting a reply from the motionless figure below him. He received none. "I promised that you could see your sister, didn't I?...You can't just go trying to break out all the time, or it'll draw too much attention." Another silence enveloped the two. "...Don't you ever want to know what your little sister looks like?" The tall and starkly pale man stood quietly over the child, who's chains clinked lightly as his frail body curled up into a ball. "Hm, little Raizou?"_

"I hope she isn't hurt." Shinra spoke lightly as he slipped into the kitchen.

Raizou made an uncomfortable noise from the couch as he lied on his back. "She probably got lost again."

Shinra's voice gently echoed from behind him. "Aren't you worried about her? Now that you have a little sister to walk to school every day, you can't mope around on your way to classes.

"If it were Celty missing, I wouldn't be able to sleep until I knew that she was safely resting in my arms," Shinra pouted.

The room quietly hummed with Raizou's laughter. "I can only imagine the friends she will make at school." Raizou's face resumed his troubled complexion. "I hope that her...disability... doesn't cause any problems."

Shinra slowly entered the living room and stood over Raizou. "You shouldn't call it that, Raizou. Your little sister went through a lot to be here with you. Yet, you're lying on the couch instead, just expecting her to come back."

"I don't care if she came here to see me. She needs to know just how nasty people can be when things like...THAT...show up out of nowhere." Raizou shifted over to glare at Shinra. "I'd rather that she head right back to the lab than have to live through a pathetic hinderance like that."

Shinra stood motionless, looking down through his glasses at Raizou. "You are absolutely wrong. She knew exactly what she was doing when she came back to Japan. I couldn't even keep up with her English when she talked about you, she was so excited. It's your job to take care of her, and you aren't going to send her back..."

Raizou, now uncomfortably stiff in his position on the couch, had both eyes trained up at Shinra.

Shinra blinked. "You..."

"...you wouldn't..."

* * *

**Street Level, Outside**

*SLAM* A slender figure stepped out from the main building, closing the door in a rush and nearly crashing into an older man walking in the opposite direction. The boy, easily in his late teens, carried on without a backward glance until he had gone halfway down the block, at which point he stopped abruptly and turned around.

"Always looking so serious. I can't believe him. I'M SO DONE WITH THIS FAMILY FULL OF IDIOTS!" The boy, regaining his lanky composure, ducked his head to the side, then continued to walk along the sidewalk.

'I don't have to put up with any more of this mess. I can just head down to the station, get on a bullet train, and be halfway across the country in a few hours.'

Raizou spoke in a coarse, frustrated undertone, "I don't have to listen to Shinra's incessant rambling about his eternal love, Celty. I don't have to put up with the continuous whisper coming from my friends because my little sister is a freak."

"I don't even care-."

Raizou slowly turned his head to the right. The pupils in his eyes immediately constricted as a blinding light hit his face. It increased in intensity, and all of the world went black.

* * *

His whole face hurt. His entire body. Even his bones ached. He felt like an angry drunk had been taken off the streets, brought into this small, scantily lit room through the only door it had, given a club, and told that the man tied up in the center of the room was actually a piñata. The thought entertained him a little, and he let out a painful chuckle.

*CRACK*

Perhaps the comparison wasn't all too wrong. The raw skin on his arms, neck, and face burned enough to keep him awake. The aching in his head did nothing to sooth that pain. It only reminded him that it was a jumbled mess, even before they had jumped him. Before he had been hit over the head. Before...

*CRACK* The sound became lost among the yellowing plaster walls, just as the previous.

_'This isn't so bad.'_

The man standing to his left was wielding what looked like a piece of bamboo. He resorted to that about twenty minutes ago, after his knuckles became raw from the...conversation.

Bound at his wrists, sitting in the chair, and dipping in and out of consciousness, the last thing he remembered himself saying was...not entirely...complementary. But by now the bamboo stick seemed to be wearing out.

_'Then again, so is your face...'_

*Squeeeeek* The chair let out a sigh. The bright colors and drawings from the children's cartoon Totoro almost made the scene comical. Except for its size and weight, the chair seemed to have been made for a child. None were to be found here, thankfully, especially with what he planned to do.

*CRACK* A sharp pain drove deep into the back of his shoulder.

One of the screws holding the back of the chair had become loose with stress. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity, he had been slowly working at it. The only man in the room besides himself seemed relatively lanky, and had something of a stubble on his cheeks where sideburns were attempting to surface. It would have been no feat of strength to take the man down, if only his fingernail fit into the screw better.

*CRACK* Something felt wrong.

"Damnit! Would you at least get a new stick! I'm starting to get splinters!" The thug swung his stick a second time, embedding even more half-inch long agony into his skin.

'Just a quarter turn more should do it...'

*CR-SNAP* The sound of the stick finally snapping muffled the noise caused by the opening door. Footsteps shuffled, but the noise was lost as the figure in the center of the room burst into motion, launching himself at the thug with the now broken stick.

'Here we go.' Time slowed down. His body screamed at him even more as adrenaline rushed through his severely bruised muscles. The underling stepped back in surprise.

Then everything went wrong.

A slight pressure appeared in his side. The lines defining the wall from the floor and the walls from each other switched places. Everything flipped sideways and his course veered him into the wall. He just barely managed to glance to his side, realizing two figures had entered the room, the right foot of the closer one extended in his direction, and he realized what had occurred.

*CRACK* The spiking pain in the back of his head turned everything black and white, and the two figures in the door blurred, as if being absorbed by another dimension. A piece of stucco chipped off from the wall and crumbled to the ground in front of his face.

The second figure, still in the doorway, seemed to have instantly concluded whether she wanted to enter or leave. Much shorter than the first man, she jolted forward, only to be grabbed and shoved roughly against the wall.

There was a snap of metal on metal, the all too familiar click of a knife being opened.

The next words took all thoughts away from the pain in his shoulder, the aching in his head. They felt like ice water being slowly poured into his ears until they were all he could think about.

"Don't scare your boyfriend like that. He's quite a tough one, but I think his time is all up."

The dim, blurry room began to fade.

"Don't you think, Izami?"

Then, she screamed.

* * *

"Good morning." The words etched into his mind, and Raizou could see through his left eye a blurry, half-formed Shinra, even through the bandages. He couldn't see that Shinra was smiling, but assumed that he had one of his dumb grins on again anyways.

"I hope you rested well while all of us were up and running about. Celty is still in a panic looking for her." Shinra spoke, more flustered now, as he stepped away from what was probably the dining room table made hospital gurney.

'Back in this hellhole again. Wait...'

Raizou stiffly sat up, decided against it, and fell back onto the table with a resounding moan. "Her. Who's her?"

"Your little sister. I woke you up because we still haven't found her."

"Why didn't anybody wake me up before!? I-" Again, Raizou lifted himself off the table, this time making it half-way off until his leg bumped a chair. His back arched and he fell to the floor with a thud.

"The painkillers should be kicking in soon." Shinra glanced over with hardly a care. He straightened his glasses, addressing something other than the bandaged, crumpled body at the foot of his dining table. "Interestingly enough, not a single bone in your body was broken."

"The hell if I care!" Raizou began to move more freely, standing up and looking around as if it was his first time in the mansion-like suite that was Shinra's and Celty's.

"You should though. A normal person would have been in a coma by now. The only other person I've seen like that is Shizuo...but that reminds me."

Raizou toppled into the couch, almost like a doll as Shinra continued to stare intently. "Everything else was a mess. No, that's correct. You had a concussion. And bleeding. And so much bruising. Oh yes. The bruises should be showing up at some point. Just don't...touch anything."

Raizou glared poisonous daggers at Shinra as he manouvered himself back into the standing position. "What the hell do you expect me to do about Mika!?" he let out in a dry voice. The medication seemed to have kicked in fully, as he now stood perfectly. Or near perfectly, given that he was at least five centimeters taller than Shinra either way. "Or should I just wait here, expecting my little sister to magically appear out of thin air?!"

Shinra looked intently at his chest, maybe at the bandages, but then he looked directly up at Raizou. "How is this different from two nights ago? You're even more worse for wear now than you were then. As your doctor, I really should be keeping you under control on your bed." Shinra motioned towards the dining room table.

"I don't care! I'm going outside! I'm going to find her!" Raizou walked towards the door, with only the slightest trace of a hobble. Whatever medications Shinra had collected, they were certainly potent. Or he was just drugged up with enough of it to kill a horse.

"How long was I out?"

The question caught Shinra off guard. Raizou had stopped half-way to the door, and stood with his back protecting him from Shinra's scrutiny. Shinra adjusted his glasses and looked down slightly.

"Two days." Shinra paused. "A lot can happen in two days, that much is true, but you shouldn't worry so much. Celty had been everywhere in the city, at one point or another. She will find her."

The room was quiet.

* * *

The van lurched from side to side. Somehow, the four figures inside remained unphased as bags and books alike launched from one side to the other, as if dancing to the tune of the raciously loud J-Pop blasting through a portable radio. A magazine in particular landed on top of the fifth figure, who lay prone in the far corner of the van.

"COME BACK, YA-" A line of expletives flew from the driver's mouth as he wheeled through traffic and back alleys in pursuit of a hit and run driver who had grazed his bumper a moment before. The more calm passenger kept his cursing in check with a glance, then looked back into the open area which contained the other three.

"Don't mess him up too much you two." Kadota said in an undertone. "If he gets taken to a hospital, the police will start sniffing around."

"On the contrary! If they can't recognize him, they won't know where to even start!" Walker gleefully flipped through a manga with his companion Erika, the both of them muttering about completely irrelevant objects and plot devices, but nonetheless making the small heap in the corner whimper even more. Erika looked up for a moment and saw the magazine spread across him.

"Look, Yumacchi!" Erika reached over and grabbed the magazine off of the figure, who shuddered.

"Now don't you worry, Mr. Yamada-San!" Walker chimed.

"We can even give you a choice if you like!" Erika joined in.

"WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT FROM ME!?" The man in the corner shreeked.

Erika and Walker looked at each other, becoming absolutely serious. Erika intoned, "We want you to tell us where you saw the fairy. That's why we picked you up."

Walker looked over as well, almost disappointed. "Isn't the fairy who you were talking about? You have quite a loud voice, Mr. Yamada-San. It would make it hard to trust you when you talk about things like that so loudly in public. Especially because we want the fairy to ourselves."

The man in the corner looked on the verge of tears. Or insanity. Then he remembered. "You mean...the monster?"

The van lurched into yet another turn, throwing books everywhere. Erika jumped forward, slamming the unlucky guest against the back door as Walker picked the magazine out of a newly formed pile of books.

Kadota joined Togusa, both of them verbally abusing one driver or another.

Erika looked at Mr. Yamada with wide eyes. Walker barely glanced up from the magazine as he said, "Don't scare us like that, Mr. Yamada-San. You obviously know where the fairy is."

"But, Yummacchi. What if the fairy saw him?" Erika looked back.

The man looked only more terrified and confused.

Erika looked down. "They must have made him forget. Is that true, Mr. Yamada-San?"

Mr. Yamada glanced through the window, then back at Walker. "Y-Yes."

Walker found what he was looking for next to him, shoving all of the loose books and other remnants of Otaku-culture into a large camping backpack. "Then we don't really need him, do we?"

Without a second glance, Erika clicked open the side door, swinging Mr. Yamada so that he was barely able to keep himself from colliding with a rogue lamppost at ninety kilometers per hour. He screamed.

The van took another turn, throwing Mr. Yamada into the opposite wall. Both Erika and Walker remained unphased.

"Yumacchi," Erika kept her eyes trained on their captive, "doesn't Mr. Yamada-San look a lot like Maizaki Kurosugi?"

"Uwaaah?!" Walker looked up from his magazine, his eyes widening as he joined Erika's gaze. Their prey shrinked under the combined scrutiny. The sunlight flashed through the passing buildings, drawing lines across the scene as it unfolded.

"You're right, Karisawa-san! He must have been sent by them!" Walker immediately stashed the last magazine in his backpack and spoke something to Erika which was entirely unintelligible to Mr. Yamada.

Kadota, however, perked up at the noise from the passenger seat and glanced over at the two with suspicious eyes. "I specifically told you two to leave him intact."

As Mr. Yamada looked innocently at Kadota for any assurance of protection, Erika excitedly opened a panel in the floor, pulling out a large toolbox. Walker moved quickly to pin Mr. Yamada to the wall and Erika moved closer as well, opening the toolbox with a nearly innocent smile.

By now, Mr. Yamada had lost all sense of sanity. "I SAW THE FAIRY GIRL IN THE ALLEY BEHIND TANAKA'S LOVE MOTEL! A BLOND HAIRED MONSTER IN A BAR TENDER'S UNIFORM THREW A DESK AT ME AND I RAN OUTSIDE! SHE GOT HIT BY A FLYING DOOR AND I RAN AWAY! I SWEAR THAT'S ALL! NOTHING MORE! I PROMISE!"

Erika smiled unnaturally, looking up at her prey. "How inappropriate. You looked like such a nice person before, Mr. Yamada-San."

The door behind Mr. Yamada slid open freely in the strong wind. He screamed again before Erika intervened. "But wait, Yumacchi! Shouldn't we try to find out more? What if he mistook one of the cute girls walking by for a fairy?" She said while pulling out a pair of pliers and what looked like a box of screws.

Despite his reaching and Walker's attempts to hold him up, Mr. Yamada's face slowly came closer and closer to the street, and he flailed even more. Walker looked frustrated, then whispered something to Erika. Erika tilted her head, and whispered back even more intently. All the while, Mr. Yamada felt small pebbles fly through his hair and waited for the worst.

Erika spoke. "We can't let anybody else know about the fairy though. She could be in danger. I guess that's it for Mr. Yamada-San then."

The hand holding Mr. Yamada from the pavement let go.

Mr. Yamada looked up, and nothing was moving. The two monsters who had kept him captive smiled intently from the inside of the van as the door slid close. Mr. Yamada twitched as bone-jarringly loud J-Pop music resumed.

The most terrifying moment of Mr. Yamada's life drove off, hopefully never to be seen again.

* * *

_**Raizou's YouTube theme music of the day:**_

_**Gumi & Rin - Invisible**_


End file.
